The 49ers will be lucky to get a 6th-round pick at best for Smith. They can make all the noise they want about feeling confident that they can work out a trade or whatever, but everyone knows that the finances simply don't work out to eat a $9+ million cap hit for a guy who's going to be your backup quarterback. San Francisco's leverage is essentially nonexistent, and they're posturing.

Right, but if they're going to cut him anyway, then they'd presumably be willing to do a trade for virtually nothing. So if there's more than one team interested in him, then one of those teams can simply offer SF some very low draft pick to take him off their hands, and scoop him up before he hits the open market. OTOH, if only one team wants him, then that doesn't work. They're better off waiting SF out.

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Well, that's the other reason that no one's trading for Smith -- no one wants to give up even low-end assets to take on that contract, which is pretty heavily backloaded. It just isn't going to happen.

Right, but if they're going to cut him anyway, then they'd presumably be willing to do a trade for virtually nothing. So if there's more than one team interested in him, then one of those teams can simply offer SF some very low draft pick to take him off their hands, and scoop him up before he hits the open market. OTOH, if only one team wants him, then that doesn't work. They're better off waiting SF out.

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Well, that's the other reason that no one's trading for Smith -- no one wants to give up even low-end assets to take on that contract, which is pretty heavily backloaded. It just isn't going to happen.

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Ummmm.....

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See my above post. The Chiefs went full retard, holy hell.

A second round pick at #34 is a fucking ridiculous amount to pay for a guy that was going to be released: His contract was way too high to be riding the bench. A third-round pick (which at #63 overall is technically a bottom 2nd) should have more than sufficed. To throw in a future pick next year as well? That's fucking lunacy considering the complete lack of leverage that San Francisco had.

Somebody just got done negotiating what is reported to be a 6-year, $120M contract. Any guesses on who that was? Anybody?

Joe Flacco. Oh good lord. Don't get me wrong, the guy's not a bad QB by any means.... but he ain't a $120M QB either. Oh, Baltimore. No wonder why the GM said they wouldn't be paying out the ass to keep this year's team together- they don't have any money left to bring the rest of them back!

Somebody just got done negotiating what is reported to be a 6-year, $120M contract. Any guesses on who that was? Anybody?

Joe Flacco. Oh good lord. Don't get me wrong, the guy's not a bad QB by any means.... but he ain't a $120M QB either. Oh, Baltimore. No wonder why the GM said they wouldn't be paying out the ass to keep this year's team together- they don't have any money left to bring the rest of them back!

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Flacco was overpaid, sure, but he took a risk cutting off contract talks before the season, won the Super Bowl (and was the MVP), was a dropped pass and missed field goal from going last year on top of that, and honestly, someone would pay him for that. The Ravens absolutely could not lose him under any circumstance. What other option did they have? Flacco and his agent took a big gamble, and it paid off.

Also, this deal means that Aaron Rodgers is going to own part of Lambeau Field when his extension gets worked out.

I agree that it's an overpay for Flacco, but I say again, they've made the playoffs every year he's been on the team, he just had a lights-out postseason and was the Super Bowl MVP. What should the Ravens have done, let him walk and trade for Alex Smith / draw on the deep pool of quarterbacks in free agehahahahaha I can't finish that sentence with a straight face.

Given the QB market and the fact that other good QBs are getting extensions right now, it's hard to do anything but overpay for Flacco. It's not like the Ravens have an alternative option.

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Exactly. This deal is basically what at least 15 other teams would have given him on the market, and the Ravens sure as shit don't want to go through another decade of sifting through garbage to find a franchise quarterback. He's a good-to-great quarterback, so if they need to pay him market value, so be it.

The Ravens are a well-run franchise and they have very little deadweight on their books:

Marshall Yanda: Signed until 2015, $7 million cap
Lardarius Webb: Signed until 2017, $9 Million cap option years in 2013 and 2016
Terrell Suggs: Signed until 2014, $7 million cap
Ray Rice: Signed until 2017, $8 million cap Option bonus due this year.
Michael Oher: Signed until 2014, $5 million cap
Haloti Ngata: Signed until 2016, $13.5 million cap in 2014-15, $9 million in 2013
Jameel McClain: Signed until 2015, $4 million cap
Vonta Leach: Signed until 2014, $4 million cap
Sam Koch: Signed until 2016, $2 million cap
Jacoby Jones: Signed until 2014, $4 million cap
Anquan Boldin: Signed until 2014, $9 million cap

Total in 2013: $72.5 million
Total in 2014: $43.5 million
Total in 2015: $32.5 million

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They can afford the Flacco contract. And let's be realistic, also; he'll restructure three or four years from now.

How the hell did Newsome only manage to get a sixth-round pick for the guy who bailed the Ravens out so many times? Ugh. But ... I suppose it makes sense. A young offensive line with very much to be optimistic about is many times more important than a 33-year-old slot receiver. Boldin probably has a great year of production left, but I'd rather see Flacco able to stand upright during the season like he did in the playoffs, and sling throws to Pitta and Torrey.

More QB carousel rumors: The Cleveland Browns are supposedly interested in arranging a trade with New England for Ryan Mallett, but Belichick might not be willing to part with him unless the Browns pay a high price:

I don't even understand how something like this happens. The only way this is possible is that these guys are older and not tech-savvy and don't understand how calls are routed/connected. Especially when one of them says he's been calling all day, and suddenly gets through on that same number, but the other says it must have been a wrong number.

In any event, there's some solid information on Fitzpatrick there. He's going to have to restructure because he's not putting up his fair share of numbers. Two seasons ago he started out like a firecracker and got his deal, but 8 games left (plus all of last season) he was pedestrian. You gotta imagine the same conversation is going on in New York behind closed doors about Sanchez.

I've got this feeling the NFC West might be the best division in Football next year. Seattle goes after Harvin, and then in almost a response, 49ers go after Boldin. That was a great trade too, as the 49ers have plenty of draft picks (And will be adding a second rounder with the Smith trade) and they pick up a wide reciever threat, while not really in his prime, can still contribute. I just with the 49ers would go after Revis, but now that just doesn't seem likely. That's a little unfortunate.